Permanent Mission of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to the UN, United States

Netherlands strengthens ties with Poland

News article
| February 13, 2013

‘The Netherlands values its economic relations with Poland and its cooperation with Poland in the EU. Our ties are strong, but we can do even more together.’ Foreign minister Frans Timmermans delivered this message in Warsaw today, during talks with his Polish counterpart, Radosław Sikorski.

The two ministers looked back at the recent European Council and discussed
priorities for the near future. ‘A strong European Union is vital for the
prosperity of the Netherlands and Poland,’ said Mr Timmermans. ‘The EU should
therefore focus on our citizens’ interests.’ The ministers also discussed the
EU’s relations with its eastern neighbours. ‘The EU’s stability and prosperity
will benefit if our neighbours are democracies that respect the rule of law and
have well-functioning market economies,’ Mr Timmermans said. ‘Dutch expertise in
working with civil society organisations in Eastern Europe and Poland’s
experience of the transition from communism to democracy and a market economy
complement one another very nicely.’ In addition, the ministers discussed ways
of strengthening cooperation between the Polish and Dutch mission networks. ‘We
can save costs by making more use of one another’s buildings and other
facilities,’ said Mr Timmermans. ‘We have agreed to examine where the
Netherlands and Poland can provide accommodation for one another’s diplomats.’

In Warsaw Mr Timmermans also met representatives of Dutch companies to
discuss how to maximise the support they receive from the Netherlands. The
Netherlands and Poland are each other’s seventh- and eighth-biggest trading
partners respectively. In 2011, exports to Poland totalled €8.3 billion and
imports from Poland totalled €5.9 billion. This means that their trade with one
another is worth more than their trade with any of the BRIC countries. The
Netherlands ranks third among Poland’s foreign investors.

Mr Timmermans also met members of the Polish-Dutch group in the Polish
parliament to discuss labour migration and other issues. ‘Surveys show that
migrant workers make a positive contribution to the Dutch economy,’ he said.
‘And Polish migrants work particularly hard. But both countries need to take
steps to ensure that everything runs smoothly. For instance, the Dutch
government is tackling the exploitation of migrant workers by rogue employers
and employment agencies.’

The Dutch minister also held talks with representatives of Polish NGOs active
in the field of democratisation in Eastern Europe. ‘NGOs play a key role in
promoting democracy and human rights, and this includes opposing discrimination
based on sexual orientation,’ he said. ‘This calls for a creative approach and
the Netherlands is keen to provide a helping hand, in partnership with the
Polish government.’

At the end of the day Mr Timmermans took part in a discussion with academics
and policymakers on how the EU can shape global developments.